Industry News Home More stories like this... RSS Feed

Users warned of Green Card lottery ruse

Thousands moved with haste to snap up tickets for pop singer Michael Jackson's performances at the O2 Arena in London but so too did cyber crooks try to exploit the phenomenon, it has been revealed.

Visitors to the controversial king of pop's website may have been met by an advertisement for the US Green Card Lottery which appeared at the bottom of the page.

The advertisement, which originates from a division of Mr Jackson's record company Sony BMG, leads to a site claiming to be able to help people get the Green Card, according to Sophos.

However, internet users are warned that this is a ploy by crooks to steal both money and personal details as the Diversity Lottery scheme cannot be rigged or fast-tracked.

A warning on the State Department website warns: "Some companies posing as the US Government have sought money in order to "complete" lottery entry forms.

The warning goes on to state that there is no charge to download and complete the electronic entry form and users should beware.

PC Tools internet security, safeguards your PC against cyber threats with proactive defence. Visit www.pctools.com to upgrade your protection